Core Curriculum

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH; THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL.

Unit

Topic

Core Curriculum

Course

M.Ed

Subject

Curriculum Development

Presented to

Madam Safina Khattak

Presented by

Syed Owais Shah

Date of Submission:

March, 2011

SIR SYED COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, KOHAT

Core Curriculum

CORE CURRICULUM
CURRICULUM:
My personal definition of curriculum is:
A curriculum is anything and everything that teaches a lesson, planned or otherwise. Humans are born learning, thus the learned curriculum actually encompasses a combination of all of the components -- the hidden, null, written, political and societal etc. Since students learn all the time through exposure and modeled behaviors, this means that they learn important social and emotional lessons from everyone who inhabits a school -- from the staff, the secretary, the cafeteria workers, their peers, as well as from the deportment, conduct and attitudes expressed and modeled by their teachers. Many educators are unaware of the strong lessons imparted to youth by these everyday contacts.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CURRICULUM?

The answer to this question is subject to interpretation. Since curriculum reflects the models of instructional delivery chosen and used, some might indicate that curriculum could be categorized according to the common psychological classifications of the four families of learning theories 1. Social, 2. Information Processing, 3. Personalist, and 4. Behavioral." Longstreet and Shane have dubbed divisions in curricular orientations as: 1. Child-centered, 2. Society-centered, 3. Knowledge-centered, or 4. Eclectic . Common philosophical orientations of curriculum parallel those beliefs espoused by different philosophical orientations : 1. Idealism, 2. Realism, 3. Perennialism, 4. Essentialism, 5. Experimentalism, 6. Existentialism, 7. Constructivism, 8. Reconstructivism and the like.

Core Curriculum

Whatever the classification, the types of curriculum dealing with our educational system are the following:

CORE CURRICULUM:
The Core Curriculum is the set of common courses required of all undergraduates and considered the necessary general education for students, irrespective of their choice in major. A Core Curriculum is a curriculum, or course of study, which is deemed central and usually made mandatory for all students of a school or school system. In a core curriculum a predetermined body of skills, knowledge, and abilities are taught to all students. The communal learning--with all students encountering the same texts and issues at the same time --and the critical dialogue experienced in small seminars are the distinctive features of the Core. Begun in the early part of the 20th century, the Core Curriculum is one of the founding experiments in liberal higher education in the United States and it remains vibrant as it enters its tenth decade throughout the world, not only academically rigorous, but also personally transformative for students. The habits of mind developed in the Core cultivate a critical and creative intellectual capacity that students employ long after college, in the pursuit and the fu lfillment of meaningful lives. However, this is not always the case. For example, a school might mandate a music appreciation class, but students may opt out if they take a performing musical class, such as orchestra, band, chorus, etc. Core curricula are often instituted, at the primary and secondary levels, by school boards, Departments of Education, or other administrative agencies charged with overseeing education. In a core curriculum, a predetermined body of skills, knowledge, and abilities is taught to all students. It is the product of Essentialism. Some of the subject has given mo re importance. Due attention is given to the compulsory subjects for all the students.

PRINCIPLES OF CORE CURRICULUM:

Core Curriculum is intended to provide all students with an education which will serve them well regardless of their choices after leaving school. It reinforces the teaching of basic skills and introduces an expanded range of new knowledge and skills to the curriculum. Core curriculum is development in nature and based on a kindergarten to grade 12 continuums. In recognition of the stage of childs growth and development, the grades are grouped into the following levels;
y y y y

Kindergarten Elementary Level (grade 1 to 5) Middle Level (grade 6 to 9) Secondary Level (grade 10 to 12)

Core Curriculum

The two major components of Core Curriculum are the Required Areas of Study and the Common Essential Learning . Seven Required Areas of Study form the framework of the curriculum. Six categories of Common Essential Learning are to be incorporated in an appropriate manner into all courses of study offered in schools. Although Core Curriculum specifies Required Areas of Study for all students, opportunities for choice or electives increase as students move through the K to 12 continuums. To meet community and student needs at the local level, provision is made within Core Curriculum to offer Locally-determined Options . Such options can be provided through the selection of provincially -developed courses or through courses developed at the local level. In recognition of the diverse needs of students, provision is made through the Adaptive Dimension for teachers to adapt instruction, materials, and environment. Core curriculum is intended to provide all students with an education that will serve them regardless of their choices after leaving school. It reinforces the teaching of basic skills and introduces an expanded range of new knowledge and skills to the curriculum.

REQUIRED AREAS OF STUDY:

y y y y y y y

The seven Required Areas of Study within the Core Curriculum are: Language arts Mathematics Science Social studies Health education Arts education Physical education

Each required area has unique knowledge, skills, and values that are essential for all students at the Elementary , Middle, and Secondary Levels. Therefore, the Required Areas of Study are included throughout the school programme from the Elementary to Secondary Levels.

COMMON ESSENTIAL LEARNING:

y y y

The six Common Essential Learning, within the Core Curriculum are: Communication Numeracy Critical and Creative Thinking

Core Curriculum

Technological Literacy Personal and Social Development Independent Learning The Common Essential Learning are six interrelated areas containing knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities that are important for learning in all school subjects.
y y y

Lets examine how a core curriculum affects the following elements of education:
CurriculumThe curriculum is built on a mandated core, which is defined and designed outside the classroom. All students learn a common set of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Though academic content remains the primary focus of the core curriculum, some core teaching is moving towards application and problem solving. InstructionInstruction is based on defined core content. Rather than focusing on discovery, teaching revolves around imparting a predetermined body of knowledge. Although the core curriculum method does not preclude using critical thinking, problem solving, and team learning, it prompts teaching toward the correct answer. AssessmentThe core content literally shapes the assessment process. The core curriculum method easily lends itself to traditional testing based on information recall, as well as the use of conventional letter grades. However, a core curriculum doesnt preclude the use of authentic assessment and portfolios.

CORE CURRICULUM HISTORY

The Core Curriculum was originally developed as the main curriculum used by Columbia University's Columbia College. It began in 1919 with "Contemporary Civilization," about the origins of western civilization. It became the framework for many similar educational models thro ughout the United States and other parts of the world. Later in its history, especially in the 1990s, it became a heavily contested form of learning.

MERITS
 To fulfill the social need of the societ y.  Like broad field curriculum, the closely related subjects are converted into single subject. Therefore to the student can observe close relation among the subjects.

Core Curriculum

 Each subject is given due weightage according to its utility in practical life.  The subject matter is closely related to our daily life; therefore, it enables the students to solve the social problems of daily life. In other words it develops problems solving attitude among the students.  It provides changes to the students to become active participants in the teaching / learning process.  Instead of using traditional methods of teaching, the teacher uses new techniques according to the nature and importance of the subjects.

DEMERITS
 It requires professionally well -trained skillful teachers. To our bad luck we lack of such skillful teachers.  It also requires well equipped laboratories, workshops and libraries. Poor countries like ours cant effort such kinds of expenditures.  It creates the distinction among the subjects. The students g ive much time to the important subjects and ignore the less important subjects.  It ignores the individual differences among the students. All the students are compelled to study the important / compulsory subjects

CORE CURRICULUM: IS THERE A NEED?

In school, most students went through four years where they got a general knowledge of most basic subjects. You were forced to take three to four years of math, science, English, and some form of history. In addition, most students were required to take two years of a foreign language and Physical Education. All these things are mandatory for most high school students to do, just to pass high school. Many students dont want to stop there. They want to go on to higher education. Most students want to go to college. All of those years of math, science, history, English, foreign language, and physical education are all required to get into college. So most students think that when they get to colleg e, they will pick a major, and they will extensively learn about that major. The student thinks that they were done with learning general knowledge about all subjects. They believe that they will get into college and hop right into their major. But the way that most colleges are set up, you dont really get into your major until the second semester of your sophomore year or the first semester of your junior year. When you first get to college, you are taking many of the same classes that you took in high school. This is a very unnecessary policy. The first two years of college, you are completing your core curriculum. These are mostly the same classes that you took throughout high school. These are the same classes that you took to get into college. Yet yo u must spend two years and

Core Curriculum

thousands of rupees to take those same classes all over again. Regardless of your major and job field that you want to go into, you must retake math, science, history, English, foreign language, and physical education. Not only m ust you spend your valuable time taking these classes again, you must also spend your money. Depending on your major and job field, many of these things you learn in these classes, you will not use ever again. In college, you should be learning about what you want to do for a living. Your degree should symbolize your learning and mastery of the skills that your job field requires. Instead, it says that you know a little about every subject, and know a little bit more about your major than someone without a degree in that field. How college is now set up, you can know everything there is to know about your major and job field, but if you are not able to also do well in unrelated subjects that you will never use again, you will not get your degree. For example, if a certain computer engineering major is able to do everything possible with a computer. But he does not do well with biology and chemistry. But if he does not pass both those classes, he will not be able to work on the computers that he is so good at. This is an atrocity. The best student in one area may not be able to use his or her talent because they are not good at another area. High school is very useful because it gives individuals a general knowledge of many subjects. These basic skills give a person a great understanding of the world they live in. But to go back and learn the same things again once you get into colleg e is a waste of time and money, time that you could be using for better things.

CONCLUSION:
Core Curriculum, in its broader sense, covers all the important aspects of knowledge that are essential for the students to learn to become a responsible citizen of the society. It makes the teaching and learning process not only easy, but also effective.